UK and 50 nations sign cyber security pact

The US, China and Russia declined.

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The UK, together with more than 50 nations, has signed an international cybersecurity agreement that aims to put some standards on cyber security and cyber warfare. The agreement was released by the French president Emmanuel Macron, during the Paris Peace Forum.

Fifty nations aside, the agreement was also signed by 130 groups from the private sector, as well as 90 charitable groups and universities. Cybersecurity Tech Accord, which includes companies like Microsoft, Facebook, LinkedIn, Oracle and Salesforce, also signed.

Charter of Trust, led by Siemens, also signed, as well as Google, IBM and HP – either through different groups or independently.

The agreement doesn't have any legal binding, but it does include principles that should promote human rights, curb election manipulation, as well as eliminate the theft of intellectual property or data. It also endorses industry standard security measures and responsible disclosure campaigns.

Kaspersky Lab, which was accused of assisting Russian in cyber warfare on multiple occasions, also signed the accords.

The limelight was stolen by the US, Australia, Russia, China, North Korea, Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia, all of which did not sign the agreement. Neither did ZTE or Huawei.

“It’s an opportunity for people to come together around a few of the key principles: around protecting innocent civilians, around protecting elections, around protecting the availability of the internet itself. It’s an opportunity to advance that through a multi-stakeholder process,” Microsoft's president and chief legal officer, Brad Smith, commented.